Perfection
by Kathryn6
Summary: Mary tells her family a few home truths after she overhears them talking about her.
1. Author's Notes

Perfection  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
I follow the trail of thought that Mary has been given a tough time by the writers and the producers of 7th Heaven (since the infamous topless photos) resulting in what has become known as a 'Mary - bashing'. The show has had other characters belittle her and express glee as she gets into trouble, yet despite this she seems to have a normal functioning life. In this fic, Mary answers back to her biggest critics; her family.  
  
Stop reading now if you don't want to read some tongue-and-cheek bashing of the other Camden's.  
  
Oh and one final thing, I have a GSCE in Spanish, (even if I was really bad at it) so I've tried to use the odd phrase. This is mainly so that Carlos and Mary can talk without their hecklers being able to understand them and also knowing a few couples and families that have dual languages they often interchange between the two languages while talking. If the phrases are wrong, please let me know.  
  
Timeframe: Set in the season eight.  
  
Disclaimer: I owe the words not the characters. 


	2. The Uneasy Dinner

Chapter One: The Uneasy Dinner  
  
Mary shuffled in her seat in the Camden dining room like she had done many times before, just as she had when she had grown up in that house. It was a similar feeling to when she had fidgeted in her seat trying to avoid her parents' eyes for breaking a window or making out with some guy. She felt that same uneasy feeling as her stomach turned over and she felt every pair of eyes drift towards her with disdainful looks in their eyes. The same disapproving looks that they had sent her ever since the night of her arrest, four years ago.  
  
Softly, she squeezed Carlos' hand as she glanced at her husband. As he smiled back at her with his warm grin, she felt a wave of relief circulate through her body and the tension start to disappear. He was so perfect for her and had helped her so much. It was just so nice to have someone who supported her and offered her unconditional love, someone who would let her know that everything would work out and ease her nerves about becoming a mother. She could just dissolve into his warm arms and feel that anything was possible. She hadn't had anyone else do that for her for so long.  
  
In fact it was due to Carlos that she had come to visit her family, biting her tongue about past events and learning to forgive and give them another chance. Her last visit should have been a joyful occasion as she told her parents she was giving them their first grandchild in just seven months. Instead, she had received a tense, cold, strained welcome, a similar atmosphere to the current one, as they all focused and fussed around Simon and forgot that she had flown across the country. Of that occasion, she can only remember the dog being happy to see her.  
  
Mary looked down the table as she saw her mother bring out a large chicken and felt a huge wave of nausea as she felt her nose wrinkle up at the smell.  
  
"Could you keep the chicken down at the other end of the table please?" She said to her mother. "I'm having a real problem with poultry at the moment."  
  
Carlos turned to her and kissed her on the forehead as he shot her a concerned look and whispered. "Esta bien?"  
  
"Si," Mary replied as she felt her body tense again and the disapproving looks sink into her and a series of muttering start. "It's just my morning, noon and evening sickness is getting set off so easily at the moment."  
  
Mary felt Carlos' warm hand rubbing her back to help the tension that was building up. A tension she had got just for justifying herself to her family just because she was having problems with her pregnancy. She felt the level of resentment grow. They should helping her instead of criticizing her every move while praising her siblings.  
  
She felt a small level of uncertainty creep into her as she looked back at her family. No matter what she did she was always going to be seen as the black sheep as the efforts of her siblings were highlighted. So much for the virtue of forgiveness, to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.  
  
"Did everyone see Simon's acceptance video?" Annie asked as she ignored her oldest daughter's comment and started serving out the food. "He portrayed everyone so well."  
  
"Things have changed so much," Eric agreed. "And I'm so proud of the way that Simon has not let things ruin his life and kept focused."  
  
The dinner continued with the praising of Simon's video, if she ever got hold of Simon for the things that he had said about her, she'd kill him. No job! She was the only Camden that had actually held down a job for the past two years. She had a normal well-managed life. Then they followed on a discussion of Ruthie's latest high grades, the support for Lucy's return to Habitat for Humanity, and the latest news from Matt.  
  
Mary watched as she felt the wave of nausea creep over her again and the smell become intolerable. Along with the constant praise of all of her siblings and the ignoring of herself was the increased sickness moving from stomach to her mouth. She felt things start to combine and she began to feel worse.  
  
"I'm sorry," Mary said as she glanced over at Carlos before getting to her feet and clutching her stomach. "It's the chicken."  
  
Carlos' eyes followed his wife as she sprinted out of the room and he noticed the series of eyes that had followed Mary look at him. He felt an instant need to follow her up the stairs and check that she was okay, but felt the glares of the other Camdens for an explanation.  
  
Lucy offered a small smile as she shot Carlos a concerned look and asked, "Is she okay?"  
  
"Yeah, she's just having a rough pregnancy at the moment." Carlos explained as he smiled back at Lucy sensing some genuine concern. Mary had told him that she used to have a very close relationship with Lucy. He got to his own feet. "Now if you'd excuse me."  
  
Next chapter: Mary overhears some of Annie's thoughts about her 'stupid' life. 


	3. Failure

Chapter Two: Failure  
  
"Hey guys," Mary said as she emerged from the bathroom, letting her brown hair down from the ponytail she had quickly pulled it into as she had headed upstairs. "I never thought that there would be a queue to see me hurl. I can hardly wait now until I give birth, there'll be much more to see then."  
  
She felt Carlos wrap his arm around her shoulder as he pulled closer to him. Lucy smiled at her and Ruthie raised her eyebrows, glancing into the bathroom. Despite the slightly unnerving air to having people wait for her outside the bathroom as she threw her guts up, it felt reassuring to have people there giving her support.  
  
"I'm never getting pregnant if that's what you end up looking like." Ruthie said before turning. "No offense, but I've got to go, I hate the smell of sick and the bathroom reeks of it."  
  
Mary let out a small laugh and raised her eyebrows as her youngest sister disappeared, "Cheers Ruthie."  
  
"Well I think you look more beautiful ever single day. Su celestial." Carlos said as he kissed her. "Especially with that wonderful glow on your face."  
  
Mary's grin grew as she glanced at her sister, wrapped her hands tighter in his and squeezed it, "You see that's how you can tell a guy loves you when they kiss you just after you spew."  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucy asked, "You look really pale."  
  
"Don't worry about me Luce, I'm fine, honestly. A bit of sickness is not going to kill me, I've coped with far worst; it is just annoy me slightly, it's none stop. Believe me, if they told you about this people would never get pregnant."  
  
"But you saw mom go through it four times. You must have had some idea what it was like."  
  
"I know, but it's completely different when it happens to you. My respect for mom is growing so much in this issue. But saying that, it's also the best feeling in the world to know that I've got this little person inside me, so the constant sickness and peaky coloring is well worth it." Mary replied before turning to her husband. "I guess we really should head back downstairs."  
  
"Okay, let me know if you need anything." Lucy said as she watched her older sister turn around. Carlos was right, she did have a certain glow that surrounded her. "Anything at all."  
  
"Will do." Mary replied as she shot her younger sister a final smile.  
  
She turned and headed down the stairs and slowly made her way to the dinning room. She glanced to the stairs looking for Carlos and holding off going into the room. She had a gut feeling that she was not going to receive that warm welcome from her parents, not if the earlier dinner had been anything to go off.  
  
Mary stood outside the closed dining room door with her hand rested on it, on the verge of pushing it open. She paused as she heard her parents muttering in low voices to each other. A couple of thoughts started to flash through her mind. Her parents only dropped their voices when they were talking about one of their children.  
  
"I sometimes can't believe she's my same little girl, the same girl I was so proud of each time she would run home and show me what she did at school. Now, well, now she's running upstairs at my meals to be sick."  
  
"I know, it's just seems like yesterday she was born and she looked up to me for everything. Things were so easy back then, she'd fall over and you could kiss it better and frighten the monsters under the bed." Eric laughed. "I can remember teaching her, her first lay-up as if it was this morning."  
  
"How did she change so much?"  
  
Mary placed her ear close to the door. For once she was going to hear what they really thought about her and not some edited version of it.  
  
"Mary."  
  
She raised her hands to her lips as she saw Carlos approach her. For once she wanted to listen in to what was being said instead of having to wait to listen to the rumors and feel the tension that was gathering around wherever she went with her family.  
  
Once Carlos had joined her in learning the art of snooping and spying, Camden fashion and had placed his ear next to hers', she placed her own ear back on the door.  
  
"I know," Annie's voice said. "I never thought that one of my kids would screw up so badly with the grades, being arrested, boys, money, being unemployable, drinking, smoking, her marriage and now she's pregnant and she's still just a baby herself. What will the church say? Were we such bad parents?"  
  
"No we weren't bad parents, and we can't make her mistakes for her."  
  
"But maybe there was just something we could have done." Annie offered. "Somewhere we could have stopped her while she was still an honor role student and a star basketball player. Varsity captains should be enjoying their scholarships at twenty-two, not a married pregnant air stewardess."  
  
"At least the other kids are still in school."  
  
"Thank god for small mercies."  
  
Mary felt the anger rise inside her. Was she always going to be seen as such a disappointment and would they ever get over those stupid mistakes from four years ago? Wasn't it the Christian thing to forgive and move on?  
  
She flung open the door it was about time that they saw her as an independent adult. Someone who managed her finances, had her own apartment, a stable job, and someone who loved her.  
  
"Mary," Eric stuttered slightly on seeing his daughter's bright red face. "Are you okay?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Mary," Carlos said in a soft voice.  
  
"No, it's about time they heard this." Mary replied as she wound up all the anger inside her. "I'm no failure, I'm just not perfect."  
  
"Mary..."  
  
Next chapter: Mary answers back. 


	4. Always Gonna Be The Bad Girl

Chapter Three: Always Gonna Be The 'Bad Girl'  
  
Mary felt the fury growing inside of her. She could not believe that all her suspicions were true, that her parents really thought that she was a failure. She knew that they had always given her a less than friendly welcome but until now she had always wanted to believe that she was just being paranoid. They were her parents, the people that had given her life, the people that were supposed to be the ones who would love her unconditionally and be there for her no matter what.  
  
She turned to look at her husband, "If I don't say anything now I never will."  
  
"I know," Carlos replied as he moved towards her. "Do you want me to leave?"  
  
"No, no," Mary explained shaking her head slightly. "I want to share everything with you."  
  
She slipped her hands into Carlos' as she turned to her parents and carefully chose her words. She wanted to make sure that they understood exactly what she was saying and how she felt.  
  
"But since you think I'm such a disappointment, I don't want you to see our baby." She spoke in a soft voice as she tried to keep her temper and moved both hers' and Carlos' hands in a protective stance over her stomach. She took a deep breath, she was not going to explode and let her parents think that her emotions had gotten the better of her. "I want our baby to grow up in a loving atmosphere, one where he or she will be supported by the family and not one where they think that they were purely a result of their mother's past 'failures.' And if you're in our lives."  
  
"Mary," Annie said in an exasperated sigh that dismissed what her daughter was saying. "You are very emotional at the moment and don't realize what you are saying."  
  
"Your mother's right, you're being unreasonable."  
  
"Hold on a minute," Carlos said, his voice rising as he moved to stand in front of Mary. How could parents say these kinds of things to their own daughter? "How dare you call her unreasonable and emotional. What kind of Christians are you? You're hypocrites and if you can't love your child, what right have you in her life, let alone give her your opinions of how she has 'messed' up her life."  
  
"We are talking to our daughter and have every right to tell her our opinions." Annie interrupted. "But what right to you have to interfere with this?"  
  
"I'm her husband." Carlos told them with his voice growing louder. "I love her, we are going to raise our child together in that love and esta loco."  
  
"Carlos," Mary interrupted in a gentle voice, trying to hide the grin that was appearing inside her. She could not believe that Carlos would call her parents insane. "It's okay I can deal with this."  
  
"Without shouting, screaming, sulking, running away or getting arrested."  
  
"I wondered when you were going to bring this up. And please let me finish before you interrupt me." Mary replied as she let out her own small sigh and sat down in her seat. Don't lose it, she reminded herself, stay cool and get your point across. She ran her hands through her hair to give herself some more time. "Yes, I got arrested when I was seventeen, but for what? I didn't kill anybody, I didn't even hurt anyone, I didn't do or sell drugs and I didn't steal anything. All I did was throw some toilet paper around and use a bit of spray paint.  
  
Yes it was stupid. But I was seventeen; I was a teenager growing up in a goldfish bowl that I didn't ask to be in. And all that I had done wrong previous to that was let my grades slip, and the slide wasn't even that bad, I went from A's and B's to mostly C's and a couple of D's and a few B's. But I was still passing my year and was going to have a scholarship to do the thing I loved.  
  
I wasn't doing that bad in my goldfish bowl. But I slipped, I blew it, I wasn't perfect and gave into that anger I was feeling that one night. I followed my teammates and did something very stupid. And I'm not saying that I wasn't in the wrong because I was.  
  
But I felt myself growing up very quickly that year. I was forced to accept my punishment and I did, I finished my community service and in five years I should have my conviction wiped off my record. But it wasn't only my punishment I had to deal with, there was so much more.  
  
In forty-eight hours I changed from Varsity captain, something that I had put years of work into, and one of the most popular girls in school to nothing, no, less than nothing. I was hated by some, the object of rumors and ridicule to others and my life became very hard. I'd lost any trust and respect that I had worked so hard to get, which I've never gotten back.  
  
I'm always going to be that bad girl, the prodigal daughter that always makes mistakes. But all those mistakes have made me grow up into the woman and adult I am now.  
  
I turned my life around at school. I got my grades back, not to straight A's but back up there. I bit my tongue and got on with life and then decided that I wasn't sure I wanted to go to school. I mean the reason I was going to school before was so that I could play basketball but now that option was gone from me.  
  
I was at a crossroads in my life and I needed help and support. But instead you shipped me away to the middle of nowhere, and at the time you wondered why I was angry. And all my crime was; was getting into debt, something that many eighteen year olds do and experimenting with a few new things and yes this did include drinking. But it was the odd beer and hardly a binge session.  
  
Yet again though I got my life back on track. I got a job, cleared my debts. I own my apartment and I'm financial independent. I'm an adult. And I still have my job, a job I love, one that gives me real life experiences, so I'm far from being unemployable. And then I got married."  
  
Mary broke from her speech for a moment as she slipped her hands' into Carlos' hands and smiled at him.  
  
"I got married to a truly wonderful man who loves me as much as I love him. And yes I'm young, but no younger than Matt or Lucy. And yes it was fast, but no faster than Matt's marriage, at least we dated and even lived together first. And yes we are still learning, but we are doing this independently, we live on our own and are building our lives together without moving back in with my family.  
  
And then after all that, after I'd gotten married, I got pregnant. It was unexpected and unplanned, but it is the best surprise that we have ever had. We could not be happier about the fact that we are going to have a baby.  
  
And we want others to share that happiness and if you are not going to do that and just be critical of us and our baby we don't want you in our lives."  
  
Mary stopped speaking as she got to her feet, "I think we should go now."  
  
Next Chapter: Mary says her final goodbye 


	5. Objections

Chapter Four: Objections  
  
Mary got to the door and felt Carlos' hand on her shoulder as she opened the door. It was such a relief to finally tell her parents what she thought. She felt her heart pounding madly, so that she could feel the vibrations against her chest, while her body was trembling. She glanced up at Carlos and then looked over her shoulder at her parents.  
  
She bit her lip, could she really leave her home like this, when push came to shove they were her parents and she didn't get another set, they were her only ones. A sense of weakness started to ebb through her as she looked her father straight in the eyes before turning back to the door; he had the same look that she had seen so many times before. The look in his eyes of utter disappointment and distain for her caused her to regain her strength. She was not a little girl anymore that would listen to his rules and preaching.  
  
"Goodbye," Carlos said to Annie and Eric before removing his hand from Mary's back and taking her hand. "Let's go."  
  
Mary paused as she watched her mother get to her feet. Was she going to have a conversation, an apology from her mom? She looked into her eyes for a second and noticed that Annie's eyes were both surround by a fierce aura and filled with tears.  
  
"You can't leave like this." Annie told her daughter as she placed her own hands on her hips. "You can't stop us from seeing our grandchild. And how do you intend to manage alone?"  
  
"We are not alone, we have my parents, our friends, and each other. And we can say all this, you're not seeing my child unless you get therapy." Carlos told them. "And learn how to love your daughter for who she is."  
  
"Carlos, mi marde esta loca pero ella nunca ir terapia. Yo me encargo, por favor." Mary explained as she felt her eyes start to tear up. She was doing the one thing she promised herself she wouldn't and didn't know why she was crying. She wiped her arm across her eyes as she forced the tears back, and started to talk again. "Mom, dad, as I said I don't want you in my life until you respect me as an adult as stop seeing my life as one huge mistake after another."  
  
"You lived in sin and got married without us being there." Eric said stubbornly. "You've not done too good at the adult thing."  
  
Mary raised her hands to her head, massaging her scalp. Her parents were never going to listen to reason if she was the one that was talking to them. She wasn't one of their perfect children, but she had to try one last time. "I'm not getting into this again. You have my number if anything ever changes because despite all this you're still my parents."  
  
Mary disappeared out of the room and headed out to the car. She wiped her eyes as she reached the hallway. Stay strong and you'll be okay, she kept telling herself as she walked through the house.  
  
"I'm so sorry I suggested coming here." Carlos caught up with her in the hallway, "Are you okay?"  
  
"Let's just get to the airport." Mary replied tensely, "I'll swing it so they can put us up at a hotel for a night."  
  
Carlos stood in front of her and wiped her tears before he swept her into a kiss as he ran his hands through her long dark hair. He kept her in a protective hug once the kiss had finished and held onto her. He had to show her how much she meant to him and how much he loved her.  
  
Mary dissolved into her husband's arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She just wanted to disappear into his hands. As she melted into his arms she let all of her tears flow. It should have felt good to tell her parents finally what she thought and to let them know that she had actually done okay with her life. Instead she felt a wave of sadness settle in her gut. That was probably the last time she would see her parents. And despite everything they had done she still had part of her that wanted them in her life.  
  
"Lets get out of here." She whispered.  
  
"Okay." Carlos said as he opened the car door for her. "We'll do whatever you want."  
  
She slipped into the car and flopped back onto her seat. She closed her eyes slightly as she tried to relax. 'You've done the right thing' she kept telling herself as she relived what she had just said, tying it in with moments in her life. She heard a familiar voice scream her name.  
  
"Mary!"  
  
She looked up through tearstained eyes to see her little sister running towards her. She glanced at Carlos hopelessly, after finally telling her parents what she thought did she really wanted to be forced to head back inside and back down by the perfect daughter?  
  
"Mary," Came the call again. "I just want a word. You can't leave like this."  
  
Mary slowly got out of the car after sending a final glance at Carlos. She bit her lip as she slowly found her way to her feet, feet that had gone to jelly. She gripped onto the car to stabilize herself as she took a couple of deep breaths.  
  
"I'm not going back in." She explained as she gulped slightly. "I meant every word I said."  
  
"Just give me a minute," Her sister replied. "I promise not to try to make you do anything."  
  
Mary let out a small sigh as she ran both her hands through her hair. She softly nodded her head, as she whispered, "I'll give you five, that's it."  
  
Next Chapter: The typical heart to heart 


	6. Beta Reader Appeal

Beta Reader Appeal  
  
Beta read has been found and the old chapters have been looked at and changed. I would like to thank Caatgurl83 for her help on this issue. 


	7. See Ya

Chapter Five: See Ya  
  
"You look awful there."  
  
"Cheers," Mary said as she let out a shaky laugh and kept her hands gripped onto the top of the car. "That's just what I wanted to hear."  
  
"I'm just watching out for you, the way my big sister used to watch out for me."  
  
Mary let out a slight smile. Memories started to flood through her mind as she felt something pulling her back to the house. She been okay as an older sister, she had tried to help them out while living her own life.  
  
"That's what family's do for each other." Mary explained. "And remember it doesn't change as we get older. It just changes from advice on how to sneak out of the house to advice on what to do if a baby won't stop crying or just having a friendly ear available. I'm always there for you, whatever it is. Just call me, okay."  
  
"I'm calling now then. Mom and dad are really upset in there."  
  
Mary ran her hands over her face and then through her hair. She really did not need this today, but had been expecting it since she'd heard her name being yelled. She held onto the back of her neck with both hands. How was she going to explain this, they would never understand why she had had to say those things. She glanced towards the car and her husband before carefully picking her words and speaking. "I'm not doing too good out here either."  
  
"Well, why don't you try and go inside and patch things up."  
  
"I'm not going to back down here, I meant everything." Mary replied with a slight shrug, how did she say this without hurting her sister's feelings? "You said that you weren't going to try and change my mind. I guess you're just never going to understand and I hope you are never put in the position to have to understand all this."  
  
"Try me."  
  
Mary made her way back to the stairs outside the house and sat down, gesturing for her sister to do the same. She took yet another deep breath as she met her younger sister directly in the eyes. How could she ever start to explain to someone who had never had any real problems in her life and who had always lived up to the expectations that had been set for them?  
  
She glanced back at the house, there were so many different memories that she had in there and not all of them had been bad. When she was younger she had loved being part of a big family. Teasing Matt about his dates, chatting until all hours with Lucy, throwing a basketball around with Simon and watching Ruthie in her football uniform.  
  
Mary slowly collected her thoughts together as she glanced down at the floor. She felt mounting pressure inside her to express everything that she wanted to say right. She needed to sound like an adult and not just a teenager who was sulking; otherwise everything that came out of her mouth was pointless. Pointless and represented her seventeen year old self that had made a couple of mistakes.  
  
"It's nothing against any of you," Mary said with a small sigh. "I still want nothing to change between any of myself and any of you but it's different with mom and dad. It's just they still see me as the girl who threw a couple of rolls of toilet paper around."  
  
"You're not giving them a chance."  
  
Mary ran her hands across her mouth as she shrugged her shoulders slightly. "No, they won't give me a chance and I'm not wasting my energy running after them. They're the parents, not me; I'm their daughter and not the other way round. And it's not up to me to change that. They need to understand that I am an adult, a adult who lives quite successfully away from this family. I'm not that little girl who makes mistakes anymore. I do not want to be seen as a constant failure and more importantly I don't want my child to see me as one. They have my number if anything changes."  
  
"But how does that effect us?"  
  
Mary glanced up helplessly at the sky. She thought that she had just explained all this. "It effects you how you want it to effect you. If you want to call it a day and live in mom and dad's shadow then I guess that's it. But it's not what I want and I hope it's not what you want either. I'll see you around."  
  
Mary slowly got to her feet and made her way towards the car. She took a final look at her childhood home and tried to catch her younger sister's eyes before opening the door. Once again she collapsed into her seat, that was it. She had lost her old family. She felt her eyes welling up with tears again. She may never actually see any of them again.  
  
She felt a small shudder run up her spine as she wiped her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths and felt a sense of composure filling her as she realized Carlo's hand was resting on her knee. This was her family, herself, Carlos and this little growing life that was inside her.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Mary replied with a small nod. "I love you."  
  
"I love you as well." Carlos told her as he leant across the seat and cupped Mary's face as he started to kiss her.  
  
Mary felt her body loosen as the kiss grew and her tongue slipped into Carlos mouth. She loved this man so much and he kissed so well. She could lose any thought that was being held up inside her by just looking into Carlos' eyes, feeling his touch against her skin or meeting his lips in a kiss.  
  
"Mary!" A voice called breaking apart the kiss. "Mary."  
  
Mary wounded down the window and smiled as she saw her sister looking back at her. "Yeah?"  
  
"Where can I find you tonight?"  
  
"At the airport."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you later then."  
  
"Make sure you do." Mary replied as she rested her hand of Carlos' arm before turning back to look at him with a small smile. "I'm ready to go."  
  
Next Chapter: Mary's reflections on what she said. 


	8. I'm Proud Of You

Chapter Six: I'm Proud of You  
  
Mary stared out of the window aimlessly as the car drove away. She had a small sense of relief that her whole family didn't hate her, but this was clouded with everything else that had happened.  
  
Her eyes were glazed over and she watched people wandering down the streets getting on with their everyday life. She found herself smiling as her eyes caught a young girl helping her little sister up off the floor.  
  
She pulled her eyes away from the street and caught Carlos' gaze in the mirror. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, both of you." Carlos replied. "And I've never been more proud of you."  
  
She felt herself growing with pride as she listened to her husband. It felt so good to hear the words love and proud without them being followed by a but or a however. Similarly 'I love you and I'm proud of you.' Not 'I love you but you really need to grow up and go to college' or 'we want to be proud of you and trust you.'  
  
She was aware of her heart racing and her body shaking a little as she thought about what had been said and her love that she was now experiencing. A sense of happiness and ease was ebbing through her. This was what life was meant to be like. This, her life, was perfect.  
  
Mary felt herself smiling. This was her life now. To be loved and happy and not have an element of doubt imposed by someone, she could not ask for more than this. She could live her life and please herself and her own small family and not worry about being judged by others.  
  
"I'm a little proud of me too." She told him as she rested her hand softly on his. She felt her hand stop trembling as she felt Carlos' smooth powerful skin touching her own. "I just wish I'd told them sooner. I guess I was just scared to; I didn't want to lose my family. No matter what they said to me, they were the only family I had. But now I have you and we have our own baby on the way."  
  
"And I'm not going anywhere." Carlos told her in a firm voice that was filled with both passion and determination. "Because you could not get rid of me even if you wanted to. I'm here for better or worse and I'm sticking to those marriage vows."  
  
Mary moved her hand away as Carlos placed both hands back onto the steering wheel. She cupped her hands together and subconsciously rubbed her wedding band as she gazed down towards it before looking back up at her husband. 'Until death do us part' she muttered to herself. That's what she had agreed to and she could see no reason why she would be breaking those vows.  
  
"I know and I'm not going to let you disappear anyway." Mary replied with a slight smile while keep a somber quality in her voice. "I just want you to promise me one thing."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"If I turn into my mother, you'll shoot me." She told him trying to say the statement in a serious tone of voice but dissolving into laughter as soon as the words came out of her mouth. "You promise?"  
  
Carlos laughed, "That would never happen in a million years."  
  
"I hope not and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't. I'm not the same type of person as the rest of them. And I'm happy about that. I love being me, in fact." She replied with a smile as she caught Carlos' eye in the mirror again. "Hey, do you want to know what my favorite memory of today will be."  
  
"What?"  
  
Mary waited for a couple of seconds before answering as she rested her hand on her stomach. "I finally got out of a family meal and I've been trying to get out of one of those awful things for years."  
  
Fin 


End file.
